206 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



tion. The letters of Gilbert White, on the contrary, are full of 

 instructive observations ; they contain more facts, and less of 

 that ornate embellishment which after a few pages tends to 

 weary the reader while it teaches him nothing. Assuming, then, 

 that the author of the ' Natural History of Selborne ' has good 

 claim to a memorial, two points suggest themselves for consider- 

 ation, namely, ivhere should the memorial be erected ? and 

 what form should it take ? 



Selborne, no doubt, as the birth-place and last resting-place 

 of Gilbert White, would, in the eyes of many, appear the most 

 fitting spot to choose. But Selborne lies far out of the beaten 

 track of ordinary wayfarers. Five miles from the unimportant 

 station of Liss, on the main line to Portsmouth, the sight of any 

 memorial to be erected there would necessitate a special pil- 

 grimage, while it is evident that once we have reached the village 

 we are surrounded by memorials of Gilbert White in his dwelling- 

 house, the old yew-tree, the plestor, the well-head, the zig-zag, 

 and other objects in the landscape with which his book has made 

 us familiar. 



What seems preferable, therefore, is the erection of a memo- 

 rial in a more public place, where it may be viewed by a greater 

 number of people, and yet be in Gilbert White's own county. 

 Such a spot is to be found in the borough-town of Petersfield, 

 only one station beyond Liss, the most important place between 

 Guildford and Portsmouth, a busy centre of attraction at the 

 time of the elections, thronged on market-days with visitors from 

 all parts, and a chosen halting-place for many a corps of 

 volunteers. 



On the farther side of the Heath Pond is a bit of rising 

 ground which, were it available, presents as fair a site as could 

 be selected for such a memorial as is now contemplated. 



Ascending this slope, on the summit of which some rustic 

 seats might be disposed, and looking back over the water towards 

 the red-roofed houses beyond, we have spread before us one of 

 those charming landscapes in which Gilbert White himself so 

 much delighted, and which tend to put one in that contemplative 

 frame of mind which paves the way for a proper appreciation of 

 his book. Here we may realize the sentiments which inspired 

 the " Naturalist's Summer Evening Walk." For while — 



